Survey: Brookhaven businesses not hiring

By some accounts the economy may be turning the corner, but businesses in the Town of Brookhaven are still treading water.

That’s according to a new survey by the town’s Brookhaven Business Advisory Council, which polled more than 150 companies across the town between October and December 2011. About 76 percent of those businesses rated the national economy a 5 or lower on a scale of 1-10. Another 16 percent gave a rating of 6 out of 10. Closer to home, 69 percent of those same businesses rated the Long Island economy a 5 or lower on the same 10-point scale.

The dismal outlook can be tied to each company’s own economic outlook; 79 percent of businesses surveyed said they hired no new full-time employees in 2011. That’s up from 77 percent who said they did no hiring in 2010 and 73 percent in 2009. The numbers were about the same for part-time hirings.

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“In the past these companies generally worried about tax burdens,” said Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko. “It’s clear the economic picture is taking a toll on these businesses psychologically. From a town supervisor’s perspective, I’m glad they’re happy with Brookhaven, but concerned that issues we have no control over are seeping into their mindsets.”

The silver lining is that 89 percent of businesses do not anticipate any layoffs either, just slightly lower than last year when 92 percent predicted no layoffs. And 94 percent of survey respondents said they plan to keep their businesses located within Brookhaven, a big gain from last year when 81 percent indicated they had their feet planted firmly within the town.

Lesko touted those results, but said he planned to reach out to the six percent who were either considering or planning to leave.

While the results may sound like businesses in Brookhaven are barely holding on, 40 percent of respondents said they actually saw an increase in revenue in 2011, mostly of between 1 and 10 percent. Another 35 percent indicated their revenue remained unchanged from 2010. Of the remaining businesses that saw decreases in revenue, 56 percent indicated those losses would be greater than 10 percent.